Conformator gauge



Aug. 5, 1947.

Filed March 16, 1944 -I INVENToR. da/v D. Wfsr Arron/fk Patented Aug. 5,1947 UNITED ISTATES PATENT OFFICE CONFORMATOR GAUGE John D. West,ll/Iantowoc,k Wis., assigner toManitnwoc Shipbuilding Company, ManitowoaWis.

ApplicatonMarch 16, 1944, Serial No. 526,684

7 Claims. 1

This invention relates to gauges.

In mounting Vldynamos, motors, or engines or other devices of thisnatureon a support it is usualto place liners or yshims between thesupport and the motor or other member. These liners are usually made inAsmall sections eight or teninches longand are accurately machined asclose as vpossible 'to lit the .space for that particularliner. They aretried in the space and the "high points ground off as the ttingprogresses. This is 'a relatively long and tedious process.

Objects of this invention are to provide a'gauge which may be Aused tovmaterially shorten the process of `tting liners to the space betweenthe member'to be supported-and itssupport and to so construct the gaugethat itis provided with'a plurality of individually, outwardly urgedmembers capable l'of independent motion so that they may accuratelyarrange themselves against the surfaces to be gauge'd on opposite sidesofthe gauge and may'th-ereafter be clamped in place so 'that the Ygaugemay be removed from the space and accurately calipered and thereafterthe proper liner 'may :be accurately machined or ground to the desiredcontour 'without necessitating the many successive fittings and partialgrindings of the liner as has heretofore been necessary.

vIn greater detail, objectsof this invention-are to provide a gaugewhich is so made that it is "adaptedto be inserted 'between the opposedsur-v faces deiining the space in which the liner is iinally tobepositioned and is adapted, when'so inserted, to allow the release ofva "plurality of gauging `membersy -fthe gauging members being'automatically individually urged outwardly so as to accurately conform'tothe Vcontour 'of the opposed s'urfaces-means being provided forsubsequently clamping the'vmembe'rs against motion so that the gauge maybe removed with all of the members locked in .place and accuratelyoutlining the space to be lled by the liner.

vAnembodiment of the invention is 'shownin the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure l is a plan view of the gauge` Figure g2 is aside View o'f thestructure shown in Figure 1, with a part 'broken away and partsinfsection.

:Figure A3ris a sectional viewon the line Y'Fe-'3. of Figure Figure 4 isa sectional view on the line 4 4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a View corresponding to Figure?, ,showing fthe .position .offthe :gauging members when the clamping means is released.

Figure 6 isa 'View corresponding to Figure -l drawn to a smaller-scaleand taken from the op posite side from that shown inPFigure l. Y

Figure '7 is a view of one of the individual gauging ymembers removedfromsthe remainder-of the-apparatus.

'Reerringto the drawings, it-will beseen vthat the gauge comprises anelongatedrfront' side frame vl and ari-elongated rear side frame 2.Between these f-side ramesa plurality `of gaugingmembers are positioned.'These y.gauging Vmembers are all elongated and are arranged insuccessiverows. On one vside of 'the @gauge they v are preferably .halfthe length of a row andthefgaugingmembers of this-series are indicatedgenerally by thereference character A. On the -fotherfside of "thegaugethe gauging members -are indicatedgenerallyby the reference characters`Band-C. 'On this Alast mentioned side of the gauging members there areend gauging membersindicated at E and FF.

All of the Lgaugingmembers A, B and iC are similar though of diierentlengths. One -of the gauging-members A is vshownin Figure 7 y:asillustrative. It isprovided with an inwardly projecting portionindicated .bylthe 'reference character 3 and kwith a laterally extendingportion indicatedby the reference character -4 Which-has anouter-.gauging face. The gauging .faces of successive gauging Vmembersform a substantially continuous face oneach side of the gauge. The othergauging members B and C are exactlylike the `gauging member A exceptthat they are shorter, 'the members C being shorter than the members B.The `.reason for this arrangement .is to have one :series i-of members,.for example .A, overlap vthe other series 'of members .B and C at thejoints 'between the respective members for each of the'successive rows..The members E and r'seeiigure .6, zdonot haveithe extended portions but:have merelythe .portion 3 terminating insa gauging face.

Each `:of :the :several gauging Vmembers is provided with elongatedslots '5 through which clamping l.members in 'the yform .of elongatedscrews LB extend. `The screws 6 are each provided "with 'a 'shoulderedportion 1 on the 4iront side of thefgauge'adjacent the side frame I andwith :la -knurled :manipulating hand vportion 8. They :are .threaded iasindicated-at 9 at their end andare 'screwed linto Ithe Yside framemember v2 so that when the clamping members '6 fare tightened, theyWill'clamp all ofthe gauging-members in place between the si'de framebars.

'The gauging .members are thus .all mounted nfor individual motion. Thet between the clamping screws or members E and the slots 5 is a loose tto allow the gauging members to adjust themselves individually to thecontour of the surface against which they are caused to contact as willbe hereinafter described in greater detail. As the screws 6 also passthrough the slots in each of the gauging members, they serve theadditional function of preventing inadvertent removal of any gaugingmember from the assembly.

Means are provided for individually urging the gauging membersoutwardly. This means comprises a plurality of compression springs IDwhich are seated at one end in notches l l, see Figure 7, formed in theportions 3 of the gauging members and which bear at their other endsagainst the overhanging portions 4 of succeeding gauging members.

In using the device all of the gauging members are moved inwardly totheir greatest extent to the position shown in section in Figure 3 andthe clamping members are tightened to thus lock the gauging membersagainst motion. Thereafter the gauge is inserted in the space to benally fitted with a liner and the clamping members are` released. Thesprings I urge the gauging members outwardly against the opposedsurfaces dening the space and each gauging member takes its individualposition against the surface. Thereafter the clamping members aretightened, thus locking the gauging members against motion and the gaugeis removed from the space. It is then adapted to be accurately caliperedand a replica thereof made in the form of a liner so that the liner willaccurately fit the space at which the gauging member was inserted. Thisprocess is repeated until the requisite number of liners has been made.

It will be seen that a very simple and serviceable type of gauge hasbeen provided by this invention which may be very quickly manipulated toaccurately gauge the space to be subsequently lled by a liner.

It will be seen further that the time required to fit liners to thespaces to be lled thereby is very much shortened by the use of thisgauge.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, it isto be understood that such description is intended as illustrativerather than limiting, as the invention may be variously embodied and isto be interpreted as claimed.

I claim:

1. A gauge comprising a pair of side frames, a plurality of plate-likegauging members positioned between said side frames and mounted forindividual translatory and rocking motion, a plurality of springsbiasing said gauging members towards outward motion, and clamping meansarranged at right angles to the planes of said gauging members fordrawing said side frames towards each other to temporarily lock saidgauging members against motion.

2. A gauge comprising a pair of side frames, a plurality of elongatedplate-like gauging members positioned between said side frames andstacked with their elongated faces in contact and mounted for individuallimited translatory and rocking motion, a plurality of springs biasingsaid gauging memberstowards outward motion, and clamping means fordrawing said side frames towards each other to temporarily lock saidgauging members against motion.

3. A gauge for gauging the distance between two spaced and opposedsurfaces and adapted to be inserted in the space between said suriaceavsaid gauge comprising an assembly of a plurality' of individuallymovable gauging members adapt-- ed to be individually projectedoutwardly from: opposite sides of said assembly into contact with` thesurfaces whose spacing and contour are to' be gauged, a plurality ofsprings urging said gauging members outwardly from opposite sides ofsaid assembly, and clamping means for clamp ing said gauging membersagainst motion.

10 4. A gauge comprising a pair of elongated side: frames, a pluralityof elongated gauging members. arranged in a series of rows parallelingand positioned between said side frames, alternate gauging members beingadapted to be projected from.

opposite sides of said gauge, there being a different number of gaugingmembers in a row on one side than in a corresponding row on the other'side, spring means biasing said gauging members: outwardly, and clampingmeans for clamping said'.

gauging members between said side frames.

5. A gauge comprising a pair of side frames, a, plurality of gaugingmembers positioned between. said side frames and mounted for individiualmotion, said gauging members having overlapping,

portions provided with slots and alternate gauging members havinggauging faces located on op-A posite sides of said gauge, springs urgingsaidl gauging members outwardly, and clamping meansv extending throughthe slots of said gauging mem-I bers and adapted to draw said sideframes towards each other to temporarily lock said gauging membersagainst motion.

6. A gauge comprising a pair of elongated side frames, a plurality ofelongated gauging members positioned between said side frames andmounted for individual motion, alternate gauging members having gaugingfaces on opposite sides of said gauge, the gauging faces on each side ofsaid gauge being extended to provide a substantially continuous surfaceon each side of said gauge, a plurality of springs for urging saidgauging members outwardly from opposite sides of said gauge, saidgauging members having overlapping portions provided With elongatedslots,

.45 and clamping screws extending from one side gauging members beingadapted to be projected from opposite sides of said gauge, spring meansbiasing said gauging members outwardly, and clamping means for clampingsaid gauging members between said side frames.

JOHN D. WEST.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name' Date Merrill Aug. 4, 1868Walter Jan. 4, 1921 Hyland Jan. 28, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Country DateGermany Jan. 7, 1915

